


Solanum Lycopersicum

by cloudwatch



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Falling In Love, Fluff, M/M, Romance, spoilers for the revelation path
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-26
Updated: 2016-03-26
Packaged: 2018-05-29 07:15:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6364522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudwatch/pseuds/cloudwatch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It's funny," he found himself saying, and he felt Leo's gaze move from the window before them to him. "This time last year I wanted nothing more than to put an arrow through your neck and watch you bleed out. Looking back on it, I feel kind of bad for judging you so quickly..."</p><p>"And your way of apologizing is to give me a tomato garden?"</p><p>Alternatively, Takumi courts Leo with the help of some tomatoes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Solanum Lycopersicum

**Author's Note:**

> I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW HOW THIS HAPPENED 
> 
> i fell into leokumi hell and then the next thing i knew i was writing this. i sat down and was all, "how can i get these two dorks together. i know! let's break leo's leg and send him off to hoshido, that'll work!" and well, i think it turned out okay. i hope my ramblings make sense while you read it.

Takumi shouldn't have been surprised when he ran into Leo sitting by the pond in the middle of the night, completely focused on the book in his lap and the lantern next to him, but he was. He had to admit to himself that he was still getting used to seeing Leo around the palace of Hoshido, even though Leo had been there for the past five days. Maybe it wasn't so much as him seeing Leo so often, but more about the reason why he was there.

 

As he watched, Leo grimaced and placed a gentle hand on his left leg, that was stretched out in front of him, propped up on a pillow. _Ah_ , Takumi thought, _so that's why he's out here._

 

Not three weeks prior, Ryoma had received a letter from Nohr, requesting that Leo be sent to Hoshido to recover from an injury he'd received from an attack from rebels. While King Xander and his family had been working non stop to reform Nohr, there were still rebels who did not want peace with Hoshido, and while visiting a recovering town, Leo had been assaulted. Even with Elise's healing magic, Leo still needed time to recovery from his femur bone being broken, as walking was still a daily struggle, and he couldn't go long distances without assistance from someone. Takumi, while very pleased to see his dear friend daily, felt it a little selfish (and childish, but he'd never say it out loud) to be pleased that the injury Leo received was enough to send him to Hoshido to recover, away from danger. Although...

 

It had been a long time since they'd seen each other, so he supposed he could be a little selfish in this situation.

 

Deciding that he'd spent enough time staring at the prince of Nohr, Takumi walked forward, unfolding the blanket that he'd been carrying as he did so. Once he was closer, he spoke. "You know, when they said that you needed to spend your time resting and healing, I don't think they meant staying awake to read books in the middle of the night."

 

To his credit, Leo didn't do more than lift his head up, but Takumi knew he'd startled him. "I'm resting," he said, looking back down towards the book.

 

Takumi rolled his eyes, but placed the blanket over Leo's shoulders and joined him on the ground. "You're supposed to be sleeping at this time of night."

 

Leo turned a page of the book, but he did reach up and pull the blanket tighter around his shoulders, a small smile on his face. "One could say the same thing about yourself," he muttered.

 

"I'm not the one regrowing a bone," he said, pointing at Leo's left leg. "Did the medication Sakura give you for the pain wear off?"

 

"Mm... I took more, but it takes a while before it starts working." Leo put a finger on the page to mark his place, and then gave Takumi a glance out of the corner of his eye. "Nightmares?"

 

Takumi grunted, scratching at his head, ignoring the memory of his nightmare where Leo had not survived the assault. "Not as bad as they usually are, but still enough to make sleeping after a pain." He frowned. "How did you get here by yourself? Just this morning you struggled to walk down the hall, so I doubt that you didn't have any trouble, especially given the fact that your room is on the opposite side of the castle."

 

Leo pointedly looked back at his book, but Takumi could see the embarrassed flush growing on his cheeks and he couldn't help but grin.

 

"How many times did you fall?"

 

"I'm not saying," Leo said as he sniffed.

 

Takumi let out a laugh and playfully (and gently) shoved Leo's shoulder. "You just as well admitted that you fell a few times."

 

Leo gave a fake appalled scoff. "I did not!"

 

Grinning, Takumi shook his head and took a look at the book that Leo was reading. Once he saw the cover, he raised his eyebrow at his friend, who turned his head away to hide the blush forming on his cheeks. "You're reading a book about gardening?"

 

Leo clutched at the book and cleared his throat. "It was the only thing that I could find before heading out here."

 

"Sure it was..."

 

Leo glanced at him before the two started laughing, and it was then that Takumi thought the one thing that always came to his mind whenever he was around Leo: _Gods, but he's beautiful._

 

It wasn't a new revelation; he'd had thoughts like that about Leo ever since the war, and while he'd struggled with it for a while, the warm feeling that he always had when around his friend was too incredible to shrug off. At first, he'd been worried about what his family would say in regards to him being attracted to another man, but then Corrin had announced that he and prince Leo's retainer, Niles, were getting married. No one had an issue with the two men marrying each other; rather, the only thing that seemed to be an issue was no one had even noticed the romance blossoming between the two. What he mostly remembered about that night, aside from the relief to see no one taking an issue with two men marrying, was Leo leaning over to whisper into his ear, "Now a lot of Niles' over the top teasing makes sense." If he thought hard enough about it, he could still feel Leo's warm breath on his ear.

 

However, unlike a lot of their friends and allies, romance was not something that Takumi felt he should focus on during a war. Maybe, internally, he'd been wondering whether his (growing) attraction towards the youngest Nohr prince was just due to their fast and strong friendship. But once the war was over and the negotiations between Hoshido and Nohr started, he'd realized that he was still very attracted to his friend. Now there was only the issue of dealing with it, and whether or not Leo was interested in him the same way.

 

His retainers (who always knew everything about him, and therefore knew about his _small_  problem with not having a clue about what to do when it came to courting) had thrown out ideas ranging from giving Leo an entire new wardrobe (Oboro's best, of course), to Hinata's simple "He likes tomatoes, doesn't he? Just give him a tomato."

 

Takumi was brought back to the present when he heard Leo speaking. "Honestly, I've always wanted to have a garden, but the soil in Nohr is... not healthy enough to grow many things, so colorful flowers, fruit trees, vegetables - we can only get the majority of those items from trading with Hoshido." Leo let out a yawn, covering his mouth with one hand.

 

Smiling softly, Takumi wrapped his arm around Leo's shoulder. "Looks like that medicine is starting to work. Let's get you back to your room, okay?"

 

Leo nodded in agreement, allowing Takumi to lift him up and he leaned heavily against him as they made their way back into the palace. It took longer than usual with Leo being as tired as he was, but Takumi was selfish and he enjoyed the moments with Leo leaning against him, feeling the body heat and his even breathing and he took in those signs as a firm reminder that Leo was alive and well, safe within the Hoshido palace walls. Once he'd settled the sleeping prince into his bed, he thought back to the gardening book that Leo had been reading, and then to Hinata's suggestion of buying Leo a tomato as a courting gift.

 _I know what to do_.

 

***

 

As it turned out, the season for starting a garden was just beginning, and with Leo's time to stay in Hoshido being at least another three months (depending on how well his leg was healing after those three months, his time there could extend to more than half of the year. Takumi found himself hoping he'd stay longer, before feeling a little guilty for inadvertently hoping for his dear friend to be in pain longer), Takumi figured they'd have plenty of time. He'd enlisted Sakura for help with getting the garden started, and she thankfully didn't ask too many questions, but the grin on her face told him that she had an idea of what he was doing. He didn't deny it.

 

Once he'd bought the tomato seeds, along with a variety of flower seeds as well, he chose a part of the castle garden that hadn't had any planting done and sectioned it off before leaving the seeds and gardening tools there so he could go and get Leo. As he helped the other prince walk towards the garden he pointedly ignored the few questions about where they were going, only telling Leo that it was a surprise, which Leo raised an eyebrow at but stopped asking him after. When they reached the garden entrance, he told Leo to close his eyes and once he was sure Leo wasn't peaking, he walked him towards the garden section.

 

"Okay," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "You can open your eyes and see your present now."

 

Leo blinked his eyes open and stared down at the ground, looking slightly confused for a moment. "Uh... thanks for the dirt?"

 

Takumi let out a laugh and then bent down to pick up some of the flower seeds. Still grinning, he took Leo's hands in his and placed the seeds in them (and if he held on just a little bit longer than normal, well, no one had to know). "The dirt is only part of the gift," he said, and his happiness grew as Leo's eyes widened and his mouth opened and closed.

 

"Wait, seriously? You remembered what I said that night? The medication for the pain made me wonder if I'd imagined the conversation."

 

Takumi gave Leo's shoulder a soft pat, and then he gripped it and pulled him just a bit closer. "You're going to be here for a while, the season is perfect for starting a garden, so I figured it would give you something to do other than read our entire library."

 

Leo flushed but the smile on his face was genuine, and he nudged Takumi's shoulder with his own. "Thank you for this, Takumi, because I do believe I've already gone through at least half of the books that you have here. Any longer and I'd have to send for more from Nohr."

 

Takumi gulped and resisted the urge to press a kiss to the flush on Leo's cheeks. Instead, he bent down and handed Leo the tomato seeds. As predicted, Leo let out a chuckle.

 

"You know, I'm not that in love with tomatoes."

 

"I beg to differ. During the first festival that you attended here in Hoshido, you were given a tomato and you ate it like most people do apples."

 

If possible, Leo's flush grew even stronger as he looked away in embarrassment. "It was a nice looking tomato, okay? If it looked that nice I figured its taste must be on the same level."

 

Takumi shook his head, remembering with fondness seeing Leo's face while eating some of the food at the festival; he'd only ever seen Leo so elated a few times, and he had each time saved permanently in his memory. "Well, let's see if we can get these tomatoes to taste just as good as the ones you've had before, alright?"

 

Leo nodded and then eased himself down to the ground, taking the small shovel Takumi handed him. The two set to work, choosing the best places to plant the flowers, and then the spots for the tomatoes that would get the best sunlight. All the while they talked about mundane things; Leo mentioned the letter that he'd received from Corrin and Niles just the other day, and that Corrin had asked him to let his family in Hoshido know that he was doing well and would travel to see them soon hopefully.

 

("Although how he knew I was in Hoshido, I don't know."

"I believe Ryoma said that King Xander had sent a letter to Corrin after he'd received word that you'd arrived to Hoshido safely."

"That makes sense.")

 

Takumi found himself talking very little, taking this time to steal glances at Leo when he felt that he wouldn't be caught looking. Leo's face was flushed from the sun, and he was sweating a bit from the warm weather, but he was smiling and looked so happy that Takumi wished he could somehow keep the image of Leo like this forever locked inside his head. _Gods_ he wanted to kiss him -

 

"Do you think we've buried everything right?"

 

Takumi blinked. "W-what?"

 

Leo pointed at the ground, but Takumi found himself captivated by a few pieces of dirt that were clinging to Leo's cheek, just an inch or so away from his red, red mouth. "I believe that the seeds have been planted properly, but as I've never planted anything before in my life, I was wondering if - "

 

Leo cut his sentence off as Takumi reached his hand forward and brushed the dirt away with his thumb. "You, uh... you had some dirt on your face," he mumbled, gulping as he watched Leo's face turn red, and then he became aware that his thumb was stroking the spot where the dirt had been, brushing up against the corner of Leo's mouth. His face burning, he yanked his hand away, standing quickly. "It's about time for lunch so I'll, uh... I'll go get us something to eat, yeah? You stay here and I'll be back quickly."

 

He most certainly did not run out of the room, but he did pause and turn back at the door, just in time to see Leo bury his still red face in his hands and mutter "Gods..."; through his hands, Takumi could see that Leo was sporting a happy looking smile. Feeling as though his heart was going to burst from his chest, he turned on his heel and headed out to get them lunch. _At least now I know that the chance of him being interested in me is high_.

 

***

 

The following weeks saw Leo and Takumi in their section of the garden daily, sometimes for hours on end. Leo often brought his parchment and quill into their garden area, as well as his favorite books and soft pillows to sit on. They'd often take their lunch there as well, and Takumi saw Leo smile more during those weeks than he ever did during the war; his dear friend seemed more relaxed and less stressed, and Takumi wished that he could keep that happy smile on his face forever.

 

Seeing Leo happy was having an effect on his mood as well. Others often commented that he wasn't as tense and he was more pleasurable to be around (he ignored that one mostly), but he was honestly in a good mood. So far, Leo was responding positively to the little things Takumi was doing to show his interest, and although Takumi was most definitely not an expert in the art of courting a love interest, blushing and constantly smiling (and to see Leo genuinely smiling was a rare enough treat as it was), and even falling asleep on Takumi's shoulder were all good signs as Orochi put it.

 

Their little garden was growing well. The flowers and tomatoes had developed little buds and every book they read on the subject told them that everything was going right. It surprised Takumi how much he ended up enjoying gardening, as he'd never had an interest in it before. Leo had earlier that day told him with a small flush on his face that he didn't think that tending to the garden would have been half as much fun as it was if he'd been doing it without Takumi.

 

This day was no different, but as Takumi finished his lunch and pushed his bangs out of his eyes he heard Leo clear his throat. "Do you mind if I try something? ... with your hair?"

 

Takumi paused, turning to face his friend head on. "What do you mean?"

 

Leo cleared his throat again. "Sakura taught me how to braid hair the other day when you were out in the village. I haven't had a chance to practice since then, would you mind if I did with your hair?"

 

Takumi wasn't sure what to say. "You want to practice braiding hair? Why?"

 

Leo shrugged his shoulders. "It's interesting, honestly. I like how there are many different ways to do it and all different styles, and I've wanted to get better at it. If it's an issue, then you don't have to worry about it. You have longer hair than Sakura, so I thought it would be easier, but if you don't want me to, I can -"

 

"It's fine!"

 

Embarrassed at his outburst and how enthusiastic he sounded for Leo to play with his hair, Takumi moved so that his back was facing Leo and pulled his hair out of the ties. "If you don't my asking, why did you suddenly decide to get better at braiding hair?"

 

He could feel Leo's fingers running through his hair, gently pulling out any knots or tangles and he allowed himself to close his eyes; he'd always had a weakness for people playing with his hair. Leo was quiet for a minute before he started talking, his voice soft. "I've told you about what it was like growing up in Nohr, with all of my half siblings and all of the... issues that came with it..."

 

Takumi braced himself, knowing that what Leo was going to tell him wasn't going to be in relation to a happy memory.

 

"One of my siblings who didn't make it, she had long hair like Camilla and Elise do, and during the day she'd put her hair up in eccentric styles and at night would always ask us to help her braid her hair before she went to bed. I was the worst at it," he said with a soft laugh. "I made a promise to her that I'd get better, but she died before I could even start working on it. I guess I feel like I should keep my promise, even though I know logically that it won't really mean anything..."

 

They were both silent for a while, before Takumi pushed his head back just a bit so that his head bumped Leo's chin. "Well then, what are you waiting for? Get working on it. Knowing you, you'll have it mastered in no time."

 

The two remained silent for a few moments, Takumi enjoying the feeling of Leo moving his hair in sections, and once Leo started humming a soft tune under his breath he could feel his eyes starting to close. As he leaned against Leo a bit his friend let out a soft chuckle. "Relaxing?"

 

"Not one bit," he mumbled, and let out a soft moan once he felt those hands start rubbing his scalp.

 

"You've been busy here in Hoshido, and I've heard that you're doing all that you can to help rebuild the villages that have been hurt by the war. And you've been keeping me entertained as well, so you must be exhausted."

 

Takumi shifted a bit and leaned fully against Leo's chest. "Yes, spending time with you is most definitely the most exhausting part of my day..."

 

The impromptu scalp massage was doing wonders in helping him relax, and he could feel himself slipping off as his head fell to rest against Leo's shoulder. Just as he was almost fully asleep he felt a light pressure, something warm and soft pressing against his temple.

 

"Sweet dreams, Takumi."

 

***

 

"Takumi, may I speak with you if you have a moment to spare?"

 

Takumi paused mid-step; gulping and holding the book he'd been planning on showing Leo close to his chest like it was a shield, he turned to face Ryoma, slapping a small smile on his face. "Yes? What can I do for you?"

 

Ryoma wasn't smiling, but his entire body was relaxed, and in turn Takumi relaxed just a bit himself. What Takumi was expecting Ryoma to say, he was not prepared for what did come out of his mouth. "I've noticed and have heard rumor that you are courting someone."

 

His first gut instinct was to deny it, proclaim that he was most definitely not courting someone. But as his mouth opened, he felt a rush of affection surge up in him at the mere thought of him courting Leo, and what came out of his mouth was, "Yes. I am."

 

At this, Ryoma smiled. "Our father never quite spoke with you about some of the traditions in our family about courting, and as your brother and King I've taken upon myself to teach you about one." He held out his hand and when Takumi reached out he dropped a red headband into Takumi's palm.

 

"What is it? I mean, I know it's a headband, but what's it for?"

 

Ryoma folded his arms. "When someone in our family is seriously courting someone with the intent to marry," he paused as his little brother blushed red before continuing. "We often give our intended a favor to show that we're serious about our intentions. Originally, it was given as something that you could look at during battle so that you'd remember who was waiting for you, as a promise that you'd return, but over the years it turned into more of a tradition. During the war, little things like this tradition didn't seem as significant, but now that we're at peace I think that it'll hold more meaning than it would have during the war. Now usually the favor given is a piece of your armor, a piece that your significant other can carry with them forever, but prince Leo would probably appreciate the headband more."

 

If Takumi's blush had gone away during Ryoma's talk, it came back tenfold at his brother's words. "H-how did you know?"

 

Ryoma laughed. "You're not as obvious as you think, little brother. Now go, your little prince is waiting for you in the library. Oh, and Takumi," he said as Takumi moved to leave. "You two compliment each other well. You've chosen well, and I'm proud of you."

 

Mouth still open but his hands gripping the headband tight, Takumi turned on his heel and rushed towards the library, praying that by the time he reached where Leo was he would no longer be blushing. To take his mind away from what his brother had said, he studied the headband he'd been given. It seemed simple; a nice dark red color, but there was a design on the band stitched in gold and green thread that made it look much more interesting than a normal headband. _Leo will look even more lovely wearing this._

 

Meeting in the library had been a change from their usual meeting place in the garden. That morning, he'd woken up to the sound of rain outside. During breakfast, Leo had mentioned casually that as a child he'd always loved listening to the rain while he read, so Takumi had offered to meet with him in the library for lunch, as the windows were large and they overlooked the garden as well, so if they sat in the corner they'd be able to see their little part of the garden while they talked.

 

When he walked into the library he was met with the sight of Leo sitting on one of the softer pillows, leg propped up and a book in his lap. Takumi felt the breath leave his lungs the longer he stared. Leo was looking out the window, a gentle look on his face as he stared down in the direction of the garden. Inhaling, Takumi walked forward, gripping the headband and book in his hands tighter. "Is everything looking well down there?"

 

Leo didn't look away from the window. "If plants could look happy, then this is what I'd imagine they'd look like. The flowers are starting to bloom, and so are the tomatoes." He let out a little laugh. "You know, I've been meaning to ask you - why tomatoes? There has to be another reason why you chose tomatoes, other than the fact that I enjoy them immensely."

 

Takumi took a moment before answering. "It's funny," he found himself saying, and he felt Leo's gaze move from the window before them to him. "This time last year I wanted nothing more than to put an arrow through your neck and watch you bleed out. Looking back on it, I feel kind of bad for judging you so quickly..."

 

"And your way of apologizing is to give me a tomato garden?"

 

"Ha!" Takumi moved to sit across from him, feeling a surge of courage come from his earlier talk with Ryoma. It was time to be honest. "I guess that's one way of looking at it."

 

Leo raised an eyebrow and closed his book. "There's another way to look at it?"

 

Please, don't let me screw this up. Reaching over, he took Leo's hand and place the headband in it. "I'd like for you to have this."

 

Head tilted in confusion, Leo took the headband, turning it over before smiling. "Takumi, this is lovely, thank you." He took the band he was currently wearing off his head and replaced it with the new one. "It fits perfectly too. What's the occasion?"

 

 _Be brave_ , Takumi. _You can do this. He's worth it_.

 

"In Hoshido," he began. "There are certain traditions that come along with - "

 

"Takumi, is this a courting favor?"

 

Takumi jumped a bit and his eyes shot up to look Leo in the eye. The first thing that he registered was Leo was blushing just as heavily as he was. "How did you _know_?! I literally just got that headband!"

 

Leo looked down at his hands, fingers picking at a loose thread on his pants. "As I was getting helped to the library I passed by Hinoka, who was handing Ryoma something. She started talking very loudly about courting favors as I went by, and what she handed Ryoma looked a lot like this headband. I only just but two and two together and..."

 

Takumi wanted to bury his head in his hands. " _Gods_..."

 

Leo gulped. "Does this mean that you're... that _we're_..."

 

Takumi nodded. "I would like to be. I really do like you, Leo. I find you beautiful, engaging, fascinating; I'm never bored around you, and most of all you make me so wonderfully _happy_."

 

Leo smiled that beautiful smile of his. "No kidding. I was about to say the exact same thing."

 

There were no words to describe how elated Takumi was feeling right now. He moved closer and reached his hand out, palm up, and that feeling of elation grew when Leo slid his hand into Takumi's.

 

"I don't know what the courting traditions and rules are in Hoshido, but I'd very much like to kiss you..." Leo said. "Is that okay with you?"

 

Takumi didn't think he'd ever moved faster than in that moment. "Close your eyes," he whispered as he leaned forward and pressed their mouths together.

 

It was nothing like any of the texts he'd read, and it was definitely nothing like the romance texts that Sakura liked. Leo's lips were more chapped than they appeared to be, and their noses pushed against each other awkwardly. More than once Takumi had to move his head to get an angle that felt comfortable, but with each press of their lips against one another's they seemed to get better at it, and finally (after their teeth clacked and Leo let out a snort of laughter) they seemed to find the best position and the kisses turned more tender than awkward.

 

Leo's hands made their way into his hair, and Takumi's found their home on Leo's cheek and just underneath his ear, fingers curling and trapping the lobe between his knuckles. If it was possible, he felt that he could spend the rest of his life kissing Leo and never stopping, but as he leaned closer, tilting Leo's head back just a bit so that his mouth would open and their kissing could move past being chaste, a flash of lighting struck, thunder following quickly behind it. They drew apart slowly, neither wanting to fully let go of each other.

 

"I can't believe that just happened," Takumi said, allowing their foreheads to press against each other. "Do you know how long I've wanted to do that?"

 

"Probably just as long as I have," Leo replied, eyes still closed.

 

"What would you say to doing it again?"

 

Leo opened his eyes and smirked at him. "I'd say that if we were outside we'd be straight out of one of Elise's romance books, but at the moment, I don't mind being a little cliche."

 

Takumi had to say that he didn't mind either.

 

***

 

To say that once they'd officially started courting that things were different would have been a lie. In all honesty, both were a little more reserved when it came to physical affection, and now that both had admitted their feelings Takumi felt that he could relax a bit. Leo had shown him a letter from Xander that morning, stating that once he was healed enough, Leo was to be given a diplomatic mission in Hoshido and would remain there until it was completed, which meant that Leo would stay in Hoshido - and more importantly, with Takumi - for a little more than a year to deal with the delegates and work on new trade routes and other official work as it came up.

 

"If I didn't know my brother as well as I do, I'd think that he knew about us starting a relationship and this was his way of saying he approved, but I haven't had a chance to send a letter off to my family yet."

 

Takumi pointedly did not mention that he'd overheard Sakura speaking to Hinoka about how happy Elise was now that she knew the "two idiots finally admitted their feelings for each other". And knowing Elise as he did, no doubt both Xander and Camilla knew about their growing relationship.

 

Just as their relationship was growing, so was their garden and privately, Takumi (just in the moments where he was feeling rather metaphoric) thought of it as a nice symbol of him and Leo. His dear Leo had taken it upon himself to also help the castle staff with other parts of the garden, and he'd take joy in learning what to do to help the soil become healthy when it wasn't, information he'd then send off in a letter to his family in Nohr so that they could apply it to their land's unhealthy soil.

 

Two weeks after their first kiss, Leo surprised him in the archery training grounds. He limped over, his leg growing stronger by the day, and once Takumi had place his practice bow down he held out his hand, his other hand staying behind his back. In it was a thin ribbon, the fabric soft but strong, and as he took it Takumi had an idea of what it was.

 

"I have to admit that I had to request help from your sisters, as I still can't walk for long periods of time and having to be carried back to the castle is something that I don't know I could survive with my dignity intact. I figured that even though Nohr doesn't have the same tradition as Hoshido, the least I could do is respect your tradition and give you a favor in return."

 

When the first words that Takumi thought as he allowed Leo to pull his hair out of his hair tie and put the new tie in were Gods, I believe I'm in love with you, he pushed the urge to say the words out loud down. Instead, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to enjoy the feeling of Leo running his fingers through his hair.

 

"I also have one other thing," Leo said as he pulled away, and Takumi opened his eyes to see Leo holding out a tomato in his hand.

 

"Oh!" He took the tomato, seeing that Leo had another one in his other hand. "Are these from the garden?"

 

Leo nodded, smiling. "Yes, they were the only ones that were ripe as the gardener told me, but I'll admit I was too excited to wait for you to come by so I brought them to you instead."

 

Takumi turned the tomato over in his hand. "They look really good," he started, looking up at Leo as he continued talking. "If you come with me, we'll use them to make a nice sal -" Once he finished looking up, though, he was greeted with the sight of Leo halfway through taking a bite directly out of the tomato. "... _Leo_."

 

Leo finished the bite and gulped. "What?"

 

Shaking his head, Takumi took Leo's hand and pulled him close, leaning up to press a kiss to his wet lips. "Let me teach you the _proper_ way to eat a tomato."

 

Leo followed him, grumbling under his breath about there was "nothing wrong with how I eat tomatoes, you're _insufferable_..." and Takumi's heart soared.

**Author's Note:**

> these two are such dorks and are literally the worst, i love them so much.


End file.
